On the Way to I-90

The keeper had to go to Bellevue from First Hill the other night at rush hour.  The best part of the tedious drive was resplendent Mt. Rainier, she said.

Fungi

Pretty cool.  But we know better than to eat them or drink water from them. she did not even need to tell us. They are pretty though.

New Fence

Here is our new fence.  The old one went to the dump with all of our favorite smells.  Once the new one goes up we will have to christen it all over again.  So will all the other cats in the neighborhood.

Sun

We had to spend these sunny days inside looking up through the wisteria  while the keeper went to work. Jose tore down and is building us a new fence and so she is afraid that without the fence we will run wild.  She is right.  We know. 

Dappled Things

"Glory be to God for dappled things."

She came home in the late afternoon.  She found a Toyota dealer to replace her light. But the rain had stopped and we all went out into the yard We wanted to show her how things were changing and how richly variegated are the textures, the patterns, and the colors out there.  There are new mushrooms and fungi out there.  We know better than to try them.

Carmen

Hello friends, it's not that we haven't tried to get her to post a few entries.  She  has been gone  a lot and has plenty to share. This is what we think is going on.  This was a big week with work and teaching at SU and then there was the opera. She came home very late last night after Carmen. She said that it was long and not her favorite by any means.  We understand that they had problems returning home. Thanks to all of those kind people trying to signal her that the car lights weren't working.They drove home blinding everyone with the high beams.  She fell into bed and then got up very early today to set up the parenting class. She had to go out into the morning daarkness with her high beams.  We hope that soon she will slow down soon.  We miss her.

Congratulations, Paul and Gretchen!

Last night they had a wonderful rehearsal and dinner with very touching tributes, especially from Paul's son, Mark. 

At the GU Chapel

The wedding took place at Gonzaga. They have renovated the student chapel in a pretty tasteful way.  She remembers when they renovated it to match the mood of the late 60's, and still remembers the smell of the burlap panels which covered the molded ceiling.  She also remembers being part of the girl group rock band that played under the burlapped ceiling. She was thrilled to see the Black Madonna which a Jesuit and some students recently brought back from Montserrat.

At the Davenport

We understand that she even had a robe to wear (only inside the room, of course).

At the Davenport

She did it again.  She left us on Friday and flew to Spokane for a wedding.  We understand she had to give a reflection there. She took Curious George with her.
You can barely see him on the bed there. He said it that her room was way better than her usual accommodations. He said the shower was a big as our bathroom. We were happy to stay home, however, and we will take his word on it.

Nuestra Virgen de Talpa

Well, not only did she leave early, but she came home late.  We were hungry.  And of course before we we able to eat we had to listen to the story of the Virgin of Talpa in Jalisco.  In the little village of Talpa in Jalisco there is an image of Mary which was made out of the powder of ground corn husks hundreds of years ago, and which had nearly deteriorated because of bugs and weather. They say it was miraculously restored.  Now there is a likeness of the image at St. Thomas in Tukwila, and it came to St. B's tonight for a procession and visit, of course with a banquet following. But after the Mass and before the dinner there was a long reception line to touch Mary's cloak.  The only good thing we found in this event is that the keeper brought us home our favorite coconut ice cream afterward.

Fall Sun

Well, we are still into the busy mode around here.  The keeper left early his morning to get ready for the Parenting class.  But she had to stop and behold the trees which have taken on a lovely set of colors over the past few days. We can well imagine.  However, we are not getting out much ourselves to notice.  Sigh.

Baptsms

The keeper has been of very little use to us lately.  Other than insuring our food arrives, she comes and goes.   You may ask, "Where is she?"  That's a good question.  We think she is in church a lot or at meetings. We hear that this is what "busy" means. Last Sunday she went to three services.  One was a baptism of many children.  One of the older ones baptized got to bring up the Offertory gifts and took it very seriously.

Parenting Class

The keeper got up early this morning to go to her office.  We were not amused. It disrupted our schedules.  But today was the first day of the long awaited Parenting Class that has been in the works for almost two years.  But she had to wait to find the right teacher, and she did.  And she needed a parish person who CIt started off with well, and everyone was happy, even the fathers who hadn't wanted to come. Yeah.  They are ready for 3 more weeks of it. She came home and worked afterwords because her computer still won't work in her office.  Maybe it is allergic to the place.  Maybe it likes being with us a whole lot better.

Bilbao Comes to Ravenna

The keeper came home early this afternoon in a snit because the DSL at her office wasn't working.  So she plugged in here and Cecil asked for a chair next to hers at the computer.  So they both sat there.  He slept while she worked.  Then she left for a Basque dinner with Fernando and new friends Samuel, Vilma, Joey and puppy Mia. They tasted tapas brought home from Spain and a lovely Basque salad of leeks, avocado and tomatoes.  Then they feasted on sole in green sauce with clams, and followed up with a great photo tour of northern Spain and their hosts' 40 day sojourn there. She was not in a snit when she came home this time.